1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for measuring subcutaneous fat using an ultrasonic wave.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, the measurement of thickness of subcutaneous fat using an ultrasonic wave has been conducted only by physicians, practitioners and other skilled persons, based upon their experiences and according to manuals for measuring apparatus. And the measurement was generally performed at arbitrary selected parts or positions on a person under test, including those at the side of the navel, on the flank, on the back face of an upper arm and the like.
In such prior art measuring process, an assistant person becomes necessary for performing the measurement, in addition to a person under test, depending on what part of the person is to be measured. Further, it is difficult to properly select the part to be measured among the many parts of the person as described above. It follows that the part to be measured may vary depending on what kind of person conducts the measurement, and the repeatability of the measurement results becomes lower. In addition, the measurement of subcutaneous fat at those parts is to measure the reflected wave from an interface between the fat layer and the muscle layer. Therefore, the prior art measuring process is defective in that the measurement result is greatly affected by condition of the muscle.
The present invention is directed to solve the problems of the prior art by providing new and improved measuring method and apparatus that enable the measurement always at the same parts or positions and can produce reliable results of measurement with higher repeatability.
In view of the above, the present invention provides a method for measuring subcutaneous fat using an ultrasonic wave, characterized in that it comprises the step of:
measuring a portion of an abdomen on a median line of a person under test.
In this respect, preferably, the portion of the abdomen on the median line is between a sternum and a pubis of the person under test. The portion of the abdomen on the median line is around 2 cm above a navel of the person under test.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for measuring subcutaneous fat using an ultrasonic wave, characterized in that it comprises:
a reference position setting device which sets said apparatus at a reference position for measurement on a person under test;
an ultrasonic transmitter disposed at the predetermined position relative to said reference position setting device; and
an ultrasonic receiver disposed at the predetermined position relative to said reference position setting device.
In this respect, preferably, a navel of the person is defined as the reference position for measurement. The ultrasonic transmitter and the ultrasonic receiver are disposed for measuring the subcutaneous fat in an area around 2 cm above the navel of the person along a median line. A shoulder joint of the person is defined as the reference position for measurement. The ultrasonic transmitter and the ultrasonic receiver are formed by one and the same device. The apparatus further comprises a measurement start switch, which measurement start switch is provided on the upper side of the apparatus.
This invention will now be described in further detail with regard to preferred embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.